This was inevitable: the family of Bryan Stow has filed suit against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Frank McCourt and several other Dodgers-related corporations over the beating of the San Francisco Giants fan in the Dodger Stadium parking lot on Opening Day.
The lawsuit argues the Dodgers should have been more attentive to security, especially on a high-profile Opening Day against a hated rival. It lays out the harassment suffered during the game (Dodgers fans allegedly threw peanuts, wrappers and other trash at the group) and the dangers encountered by Stow and his friends in walking to an underlit taxi stand. (The power of today’s technology: texts from Stow laid out the sense of danger he felt at Dodger Stadium.) The lawsuit further alleges that McCourt’s financial actions — taking money out of the ballpark operations to enable a lavish lifestyle — caused cutbacks in security to the point where it was nonexistent at Dodgers games, despite evidence of gang activity both in the stands and in the parking areas.
Stow, a Giants fan from Santa Clara, was at Dodger Stadium for the season opener and was jumped by two assailants after the Dodgers’ win over the Giants. He was placed in a medically induced coma by doctors to allow swelling on the brain to subside. After several weeks in the coma he was allowed to regain consciousness, but his actions have been minimal: some eye and limb movement. The incident forced the Dodgers to reevaluate ballpark safety, with the LAPD dramatically increasing its presence at games.
RELATED STORIES: Stow beating suspect in custody; Stow out of coma; will be moved closer to home; Doctors once again try to bring Stow out of coma; Dodgers scrap half-price drink promotion; All quiet at AT&T Park last night; Security tight for tonight at AT&T Park Dodgers-Giants tilt; Pirates employee found dead near PNC Park; Dodgers up security; will it be enough?; Giants fan severely beaten in Dodger Stadium parking lot; suspects sought
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